2021
WISE Score
Amazon
Two Bengali girls in Dublin fake-date to fix their social lives, but the feelings (and the cultural drama) get very real.
4.5
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This isn't your average 'brain rot' teen romance. Adiba Jaigirdar takes the predictable fake-dating trope and makes it feel urgent and deeply personal.
It’s a great pick for kids who feel like they’re constantly juggling different versions of themselves for different people. It’s honest about how much it sucks to be judged by your own community and outsiders alike, but it’s ultimately a hopeful, high-quality read that avoids being preachy.
Perfect for the 13+ crowd. It's got enough edge and 'real' language to keep high schoolers interested, but it's grounded enough for a mature 12-year-old who's ready for contemporary YA.
It models the messy but necessary process of standing up for your identity and finding people who actually like you for who you are. While there's social conflict, the core is about emotional honesty and self-respect.
It takes the classic fake-dating trope and gives it a fresh, specific perspective by setting it in Dublin with two Bengali leads. It's not reinventing the wheel, but the cultural specificity makes it feel original.
Very safe for the intended teen audience. No explicit sexual content beyond kissing. The 'danger' is limited to realistic social stressors like peer pressure and prejudice.
High marks for empathy building. It tackles intersectional identity, racism, and biphobia with nuance, offering a window into experiences that aren't often centered in mainstream YA rom-coms.
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